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Is Bobby Labonte headed for Petty Enterprises exit?
A: Patty, here's what is and isn't happening. First, General Mills has already announced that come 2009, it will be moving its sponsorship monies over to Richard Childress Racing. Second, Bobby Labonte said in an official news release that his main job is to win races for Petty Enterprises in 2008. Now here's where all the talk comes in. Bobby is driving for Childress on the Nationwide Series, and the "word" out there is that General Mills really likes Labonte and what he offers a corporate sponsor. When you add this up, everything points to Labonte leaving Petty at the end of 2008 and heading over to Childress to drive that fourth Childress Chevrolet Sprint Cup team car. Personally, I believe Bobby Labonte has many wins left in him. He is a class act and a past champion. Right now, he's in a similar position to Jeff Burton when Burton finally moved over to Childress after a stellar Roush career, which ended in a rough, lackluster on-track performance with no sponsor situation. Burton admits fault for his uninspiring performance with Roush at the end of their relationship, saying he was trying to do too much with car setup, etc., while also trying to drive. Yet, look what a difference a change in teams made, as Burton's career is again in high gear and he's a threat to win anywhere, including the overall championship. I see similar results ahead for Labonte. As for the Pettys, they badly need major sponsorship to stay afloat. Making matters worse, Kyle's No. 45 car is now out of the top 35 in owner points. The business of NASCAR Sprint Cup has become ultra-expensive, and you've got to have a Fortune 500 company (or companies) helping pay the bills. We mentioned Yates Racing in a previous column, and it is still looking for sponsor help, and has a great team, too. In summary, if I were laying money on the table, I'd slide it over on the side that says Labonte will be in a Richard Childress "Cheerios" car come Daytona in 2009. *** Q: Hi, Greg. I want to know if the good old days you speak of were really that much better? I'm only 15, so I don't remember those Chevy 427s, AMC Matadors or Hemi Plymouths you talk about. Were those days really better? -- Kip, e-mail from Pennsylvania A: Kip, I guess every race fan goes through a period that will be looked on as "the good old days." I'm sure when you are 50 years old (and yes, it will happen one day), you'll look back at the current drivers and cars as your "good old days," too. I will always love the days when racing was a little more grass roots. Back then, drivers like Wendell Scott were running on their own dime, and you could go to a junkyard and find bulletproof racing pieces. You also didn't need a big corporation and a company jet to get your cars and team to the track. Today the cars are way safer, the sport has grown into majorleague proportions and television coverage is excellent with great ratings. Everything and everyone evolves and grows up. Write to Greg Zyla in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL32853-6475, or send an e-mail to gzyla@ptd.net.
(c) 2008 King Features Synd., Inc.
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